Objectifying women at tech and gaming promotional venues has devolved to a standard, but Microsoft’s presence at the 2016 Game Developers Conference this week was another step in the opposite direction. Microsoft’s GDC party featured women dancing on platforms, a decision made by Microsoft—not the hosted venue, reported in The Verge.
Xbox chief Phil Spector said that the event didn’t align with his company’s values and promised to avoid such stigma moving forward. Spencer commented, “At Xbox-hosted events at GDC this past week, we represented Xbox and Microsoft in a way that was not consistent or aligned to our values. It was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated. I know we disappointed many people and I’m personally committed to holding ourselves to higher standards. We must ensure that diversity and inclusion are central to our everyday business and core values. We will do better in the future.”
The statement was originally released by Crave, as attendees voiced their thoughts on Twitter. One participant said, “This is the first fucking time I’ve felt this unwelcome at a games event,” and “Thanks for pushing me out of this party, Microsoft.” The display even surprised fellow Microsoft employees. Aaron Greenberg, Head of Xbox Games Marketing Tweeted that he was “very disappointed to see this.”
Such marketing decisions have given these conferences a notoriety that is hard to ignore. The practice of objectifying women has slowly progressed, but major companies like Microsoft have yet to mature—ironic when the company holds an annual “women in gaming” at GDC.